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Talyllyn Railway Locomotives

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List of Talyllyn Railway locomotives who have appeared in The Railway Series and Thomas & Friends media. For a comprehensive list on all locomotives - click here.

Talyllyn

Talyllyn is a narrow gauge saddle tank engine and the oldest engine on the Talyllyn Railway.

Talyllyn is the real-life counterpart and twin of Skarloey. The Ghost Engine is also based on him.

Biography

The Railway Series

Talyllyn was built alongside his twin Skarloey in 1864 by Fletcher, Jennings & Co. at the Lowca Engineering Works. [1] Skarloey was sent to the Skarloey Railway on Sodor, while Talyllyn went to the Talyllyn Railway in Wales. Two years later, he was joined by Dolgoch.

In 1952, Talyllyn needed a much-needed overhaul and in 1957 was sent to Gibbons Bros. Ltd. in England, where he reunited with his twin Skarloey, who was there for the same purpose, for the first time in some 60 years. According to Skarloey, when the workmen saw them together, they laughed and called them their "Little Old Twins". Skarloey would often talk about his twin to the Skarloey Railway engines and staff.

In 1964, Talyllyn and Skarloey celebrated their 100th birthday on their respective railways. Skarloey and Rheneas wished him and Dolgoch "dry rails and good runnings" from a far.

When Sir Handel visited the Talyllyn Railway in 1982-1984, the other engines told him Talyllyn was being mended in another part of the shed, so Sir Handel did not have a chance to meet him. However, Sir Handel admired Talyllyn's railway. In 1988-1996, during his visit to the Talyllyn Railway, Peter Sam became ill after drinking dirty water and Talyllyn had to rescue Peter Sam's passenger train.

Technical Details

Real-Life History

Originally built in 1864 by Fletcher, Jennings & Co. of Whitehaven as a Class A 0-4-0ST, Talyllyn had a short wheelbase and long rear overhang which led to his rapid conversion to a Class C 0-4-2ST. As the more popular of the Talyllyn Railway's two original engines, Talyllyn was in very poor condition by 1945 when he was laid aside. He was rebuilt in 1957-58 by Gibbons Bros. Ltd., but proved problematic and has undergone considerable modification since then, resulting in much improved performance.

In April 2014, Talyllyn's right-hand side connecting rod broke, which resulted into him being sent to the Ffestiniog Railway for the connecting rod to be mended, and a bottom-end overhaul to be carried out at the Boston Lodge Works. In August of that year, Talyllyn returned to service, and on 24 September, he celebrated his 150th birthday in grand style alongside Dolgoch.

As of 2018, Talyllyn is going through an overhaul due to his boiler ticket being expired. During the overhaul process in 2019, it was revealed that Talyllyn will be painted into a green livery.

Livery

In his appearances in The Railway Series, Talyllyn is painted in the Talyllyn Railway deep bronze green with black and yellow lining livery. He also has brass fittings. He has red and brass name, number (1) and builder's plates on the sides of his cab. His buffer beams are painted red with dark grey buffers.

The real Talyllyn is currently painted in Indian red with black and gold lining, red wheels and "TAL-Y-LLYN" painted on the sides of his water tank in light yellow. Previously, Talyllyn was painted in LNWR black with white and red lining livery. He had cast brass nameplates with red infills on both sides of his cab.

Appearances

Books

Miscellaneous

Documentaries

Talyllyn is referred to as "a modified Fletcher, Jennings & Co. 0-4-0ST narrow gauge engine" on Skarloey's Engine Depot page on The Official Website[2].

Trivia

Dolgoch

Dolgoch is a narrow gauge well tank engine and the Talyllyn Railway's second engine.

Dolgoch is the real-life counterpart and twin of Rheneas. Smudger and Jennings are also based on him.

Technical Details

Real-Life History

Dolgoch was built in 1866 by Fletcher, Jennings & Co., but to a very different design to that of Talyllyn. He is a Class Bb 0-4-0 tank engine with both a back tank (behind the cab) and a well tank (between the frames). The long wheelbase allows the firebox to sit in front of the rear axle, with Fletcher's Patent inside valve gear driven off the front axle, a particularly inaccessible arrangement. Between 1900 and 1914, he was renamed Pretoria, in celebration of the relief to the township of Pretoria in South Africa by Lord Roberts during the Boer War. In increasingly decrepit condition, Dolgoch continued to operate the service single-handedly until 1952 when Edward Thomas became available and was then the subject of a prolonged overhaul between 1954 and 1963.

Dolgoch returned to service in late 1999 after a major overhaul involving firebox repairs and an extensive mechanical overhaul; as part of the overhaul he has been fitted with air braking equipment, the last steam engine on the Talyllyn Railway to be fitted.

Overhaul and Appeal

During Autumn 2009, the Talyllyn Railway booked Dolgoch for an overhaul. To ensure that Dolgoch was repaired by May 2011, which marked the 60th anniversary of railway preservation, "Steam Railway" magazine launched an appeal to raise funds for Dolgoch's next overhaul, which includes a new boiler to its original design. However, whilst the appeal was being made, an examination of Dolgoch showed that he had a crack in his rear tube plate, which forced him to be withdrawn for overhaul earlier than expected. Luckily though, by January 2010, thanks to the readers of "Steam Railway" magazine, the Dolgoch appeal was so successful that the overhaul was able to commence. During the second week in February, Dolgoch was dismantled for the removal of his boiler from his frames. Then, his boiler was lifted from his frames on 23 February 2010.

On 22 March 2011, Dolgoch's new boiler, built in the Severn Valley Railway's Boiler Shop in Bridgnorth, was completed with a new smokebox and passed its steam test eleven days after. On 28 April 2011, the boiler was back at the Talyllyn Railway for Dolgoch's overhaul to be completed. Following completion of his overhaul, Dolgoch is now back in working service and attended the 60th anniversary of railway preservation on 14 May 2011.

During 2012, Dolgoch took part in the third annual Steel, Steam and Stars event at the Llangollen Railway where he ran on a dual-gauge length of track at Carrog station with the Ffestiniog Railway's Palmerston.

Livery

The railway's preservation society painted Dolgoch in deep bronze green in 1953. Starting in the 1990's he wore Apple Green in reference to the livery that he had when the preservationists saved the railway. Between 2008 and 2014, he was painted in Crimson Lake. In January 2015, Dolgoch and Talyllyn were painted Indian red in honour of the railway's 150th anniversary.

Appearances

Books

Miscellaneous

Documentaries

Dolgoch is referred to as "a Fletcher, Jennings & Co. 0-4-0ST narrow gauge engine" on Rheneas and Smudger's Engine Depot pages on The Official Website[3][4].

Trivia


Sir Haydn

Sir Haydn is narrow gauge saddle tank engine and the Talyllyn Railway's third engine. He originally worked on the Corris Railway.

Sir Handel, Proteus and Albert (Mk2) are based on Sir Haydn.

Technical Details

Real-Life History

Sir Haydn is an 0-4-2ST (formerly a 0-4-0ST) built in 1878 by the Hughes' Loco and Tramway Engine Works Ltd. He worked on the nearby Corris Railway until the closure of that line in 1948. In 1951, he was purchased by the Talyllyn Railway, along with the other surviving Corris engine, who became Edward Thomas, and was named after the line's late owner, Sir Henry Haydn Jones. The precarious state of the track meant he was not often used for the first few years, and firebox problems caused his withdrawal in 1957. He re-entered service in 1968.

In the early 1980s, the Talyllyn Railway was experiencing a slowdown in terms of traffic and visitors. In a bid to stem the decline, the railway sought ways to appeal to the public and give them more of a reason to visit. It was decided to repaint Sir Haydn into the guise of Sir Handel for the 1982 season, though it was met with apprehension by some enthusiasts. The Rev. W. Awdry gave his blessing and with co-operation from the publishers, Kaye & Ward, the launch date was set for 3 July, 1982. Numerous journalists were present at the event and the Rev. W. Awdry attended as a "representative" of Sir Handel Brown, and explained that the reason for Sir Handel's presence was that Sir Haydn needed repairs and that the Skarloey Railway had lent the Talyllyn Sir Handel. The venture was so successful that "Sir Handel" remained on the Talyllyn until 1984, at which point Sir Haydn was repainted back into its regular livery. The following year, the events were included in The Railway Series book, Great Little Engines, written by Christopher Awdry.

From 1988, an engine from the Talyllyn Railway would be repainted into its counterpart on the Skarloey Railway annually starting with Edward Thomas as Peter Sam, who was replaced by Douglas as Duncan in 2000, with the events being branded as "Duncan Days". Soon afterwards, Sir Haydn was repainted into its Corris red livery, and it was decided to run both "Duncan" and "Sir Handel" together on "Duncan Days". Following Douglas' withdrawal for overhaul in 2008, Sir Haydn would act as the main Skarloey engine until its own withdrawal for overhaul in April 2012, with Douglas reassuming the role upon its return a year later.

In April 2012, Sir Haydn made his second visit to the Corris Railway and worked there until May 17, 2012 when his boiler certificate expired. However, he remained at the Corris Railway for the rest of the summer as a static exhibit to generate interest in the Corris Railway's plans for their next new-build engine; a copy of Sir Haydn. During 2013, Sir Haydn toured railways across Great Britain to raise funds for an overhaul. After this, he returned to the Talyllyn Railway in March 2015, where he had one final public appearance before going in for his overhaul. Sir Haydn was stored (interestingly enough with the "Sir Handel" nameplate decal on one side of his saddle tank) in the sheds at Pendre, awaiting a new boiler.

In Autumn 2015, Sir Haydn was transferred from the Talyllyn Railway to the workshops of the Vale of Rheidol Railway in Aberystwyth for his overhaul to be carried out. His overhaul was completed in April 2018 in time for his 140th anniversary.

Livery

Sir Haydn is currently painted in the Talyllyn Railway deep bronze green with black and yellow lining livery. Previously, he was painted in Indian red with black and gold lining. He has a brass number plate that's backed in black and green, placed on the sides of his cab. His number (3) is on them, also in brass. He has previously worn the livery of the Corris Railway, his original railway, for many years on the Talyllyn.

Appearances

Books

Miscellaneous

Documentaries

Sir Haydn is referred to as "a modified Hughes' Loco & Tramway Engine Works Ltd 0-4-0ST narrow gauge engine" on Sir Handel's Engine Depot page on The Official Website[6].

Trivia

  • A book named Hugh Goes Sliding, written by Christopher Awdry, featured Sir Haydn and Edward Thomas working on the Corris Railway. It was based on a true life event, reminiscent of The Railway Series. It implies that before being purchased by the Talyllyn Railway, Sir Haydn was named "Hugh" after his designer Henry Hughes. Hugh was also featured in a story for the Corris Railway's newsletter, known as the "Corris-Pondent" alongside Cora[7]..
  • A derailment involving Sir Haydn on the Talyllyn Railway inspired his counterpart in The Railway Series, Sir Handel to have quite a few similar accidents in both The Railway Series and the television series.
  • Sir Haydn has been used to portray Sir Handel at Days Out with Thomas themed events.


Edward Thomas

Edward Thomas is narrow gauge saddle tank engine and the Talyllyn Railway's fourth engine. He originally worked on the Corris Railway.

Peter Sam, Little Barford and Helpful Steamie are based on Edward Thomas.

Technical Details

Real-Life History

Edward Thomas is a 0-4-2ST built in 1921 by Kerr, Stuart and Company Ltd. He worked on the Corris Railway, along with Sir Haydn, until the line's closure in 1948. Edward Thomas was purchased by the Talyllyn Railway in 1951 and named after its former manager. After repairs were carried out by the Hunslet Engine Co., the engine entered service on the Talyllyn Railway in 1952 and has proved most successful. From 1958 until 1969, a Giesl ejector was fitted instead of a conventional chimney, the first such installation in the British Isles.

Following the success of Sir Haydn's stint as Sir Handel between 1982 and 1984, in 1988 it was decided to repaint Edward Thomas into Peter Sam. A ceremony was held on the 14 May, 1988, where the Rev. W. Awdry, acting as the "representative" of Sir Handel Brown, handed over "Peter Sam" to the Talyllyn Railway, supported by his son Christopher Awdry and grandson Richard. "Peter Sam" would spend twelve years on the Talyllyn Railway, during which he became involved in a dispute with The Britt Allcroft Company following the launch of Days Out with Thomas, as Allcroft wanted the Talyllyn to pay licensing fees like other heritage railways. In 1993, an agreement was reached and in 1996, "Peter Sam's" visit to the Talyllyn Railway was featured in The Railway Series book, New Little Engine. In 2000, Douglas took over as Duncan for Skarloey events, now named "Duncan Days", and Edward Thomas was withdrawn for overhaul.

Edward Thomas was then repainted into the British Railways livery of black, the livery he might have acquired had the Corris line survived a little longer. An extensive overhaul, which included the fitting of a new boiler, was completed in late May 2004, and the engine returned to public service on the thirtieth of that month as "Edward Thomas" in unlined green livery. Following Sir Haydn taking over as main Skarloey engine in 2008, Edward Thomas would occasionally be dressed up as Peter Sam before taking over as main Skarloey engine from Douglas (who reassumed the role in 2013) in 2016, with the events being rebranded as "Peter Sam's Party". Unlike previous times, Edward Thomas was not repainted into Peter Sam's red livery from The Railway Series and remained in his regular green livery and was only dressed up for the special events. A new face was also made for him, based on the face of former manager and namesake Edward Thomas.

Livery

Edward Thomas is currently running in the Talyllyn Railway's livery of deep bronze green with black and yellow lining. He has a brass number plate that's backed in black on the sides of his bunkers with his name on them in brass. His buffer beams are painted red with black buffers.

Appearances

Books

Miscellaneous

Documentaries

Edward Thomas is referred to as "a Kerr, Stuart & Co. Ltd. 0-4-2ST narrow gauge engine" on Peter Sam's Engine Depot page on The Official Website[9].

Trivia

  • A book named Hugh Goes Sliding, written by Christopher Awdry, featured Sir Haydn and Edward Thomas working on the Corris Railway. It was based on a true life event, reminiscent of The Railway Series. It implies that before being purchased by the Talyllyn Railway, Edward Thomas was named "Kerr" after his designer Kerr Stuart. Kerr was also featured in a story for the Corris Railway's newsletter, known as the "Corris-Pondent" alongside Cora[10].
  • Edward Thomas has been used to portray Peter Sam (and Stuart) in Days Out with Thomas themed events.


Midlander

Midlander is a little narrow gauge diesel and the Talyllyn Railway's fifth engine.

Rusty is based on Midlander.

Technical Details

Real-Life History

Midlanded was built in 1941 by Ruston & Hornsby. She was purchased from Jee's Quarry in 1957 by the Talyllyn Railway. She was rebuilt during her time on the Talyllyn, re-entering service in 1980. Like her Sudrian counterpart, Midlander is used for maintenance work as well as odd jobs around the Talyllyn Railway.

Livery

Midlander is painted a forest green livery with red buffer beams and a brass number plate that's backed in black.

Appearances

Miscellaneous

Midlander is referred to as a "a Ruston & Hornsby 4wDM narrow gauge engine" on Rusty's Engine Depot page on The Official Website[11].

Trivia

  • Unlike Rusty, Midlander has had a complete rebuild.
  • Midlander has been used to portray Rusty at Days Out with Thomas themed events.

Audio Files

Whistle

Sound Effect Notes
In-real-life whistle as of 2019


Douglas

This article is about the narrow gauge engine. You may be looking for the standard gauge engine.

Douglas is a narrow gauge well tank engine and the Talyllyn Railway's sixth engine.

Duncan is based on Douglas.

Technical Details

Real-Life history

Douglas was built in 1918 by Andrew Barclay and Co. Ltd. for the Airservice Construction Corps. From 1921 until 1945, Douglas worked at the Royal Air Force railway at Calshot Spit, Southampton. After a period in store at Calshot, he was bought in 1949 by Abelson and Co. Ltd. who presented him to the Talyllyn Railway in 1953. After overhaul and alteration from 2ft to 2ft 3in gauge, he entered service in 1954 and was named "Douglas" at the donor's request. Although smaller than the other engines, he has performed well and was returned to service in 1995, having been fitted with a new boiler, turned out in his old Air Ministry Works and Buildings livery.

In 2000, Douglas was repainted into Duncan, taking over as the Talyllyn's main Skarloey engine from Edward Thomas. The events were branded as "Duncan Days", and Duncan's face had a hat and a more fleshy skin tone to avoid rights issues with Gullane Entertainment. In 2008, Douglas was withdrawn for overhaul and Sir Haydn took over as main Skarloey engine until its own withdrawal for overhaul in 2012, with Douglas returning the following year. On "Duncan's" return on the 28 May, 2013, he was assisted by "Rusty" (Midlander) as Douglas' repairs were not fully complete, returning to regular that summer. Douglas would continue as "Duncan" until 2015, with Edward Thomas becoming the main Skarloey engine from 2016 onwards and the events were rebranded as "Peter Sam's Party", though Douglas was dressed up as Duncan for the 2016 and 2017 events.

In 2018, Douglas' centenary was celebrated. As it coincided with the centenary of the Royal Air Force, Douglas was repainted into the Royal Air Force blue livery and was adopted by the Royal Air Force Foundation.

Livery

Douglas is currently painted in the Royal Air (RAF) blue livery. The RAF roundel is painted on the sides of his boiler. In his appearance in The Railway Series, Douglas is painted in the Talyllyn Railway deep bronze green with black and yellow lining livery.

Appearances

Books

Miscellaneous

Documentaries

Douglas is referred to as "a narrow gauge, industrial tank engine built in Scotland at the time of the first World War on Duncan's Engine Depot page on The Official Website[12].

Trivia

  • As Douglas' tall cab scraped against the bridges, it became an inspiration for the story "Home at Last" from The Railway Series book, The Little Old Engine. In addition, Douglas was known for being a rough rider due to his short wheelbase, which was what inspired Duncan's "rock 'n' roll" tendencies.
  • Douglas' overhaul was the main reason for why Duncan was not included in Blue Mountain Mystery, as Nitrogen Studios went to the Talyllyn Railway to get measurements for their models of the Skarloey Railway Engines when Douglas was having his overhaul, and why Duncan did not appear in the show again until the eighteenth series, by which time Arc Productions had taken over the animation. They did not take measurements of Douglas when modeling Duncan, however, and as a result Duncan appears to be based loosely on his original television series model rather than Douglas.
  • Douglas would be used to portray Duncan in Days Out with Thomas themed events.

Tom Rolt

Tom Rolt is a narrow gauge tank engine and the Talyllyn Railway's seventh engine.

Ivo Hugh is based on Tom Rolt.

Technical Details

Real Life History

Tom Rolt was built at the Talyllyn's Pendre Works, using parts of a seldom-used 3ft gauge Andrew Barclay 0-4-0WT, built in 1949 for Bord na Mona, the Irish turf board. An 0-4-2T, it is the line's newest, largest, most powerful steam engine, having entered service in 1991. It is named after the author L. T. C. Rolt, who inspired the Talyllyn's preservation and was its manager in 1951 and 1952.

On 6 May, 1991, Tom Rolt's name was unveiled by L. T. C. Rolt's wife, Sonia.

In August 2000, Tom Rolt returned to service after its annual boiler inspection and overhaul. It always carries the Talyllyn Railway's livery of deep bronze green. In 2007, Tom Rolt was withdrawn from service for an overhaul but came back into service in early 2009.

Livery

Tom Rolt is running in the Talyllyn Railway's livery of deep bronze green with black and yellow lining.

Appearances

The Railway Series

Companion Volumes

Miscellaneous

Documentaries

Trivia

  • One of Tom Rolt's alternative names was at one point intended to be "Irish Pete".
  • Tom Rolt has been used to portray Ivo Hugh at Days Out with Thomas themed events.

Alf

For other uses, see Alf (disambiguation).

Alf is a narrow gauge diesel and the Talyllyn Railway's ninth engine.

Fred is based on Alf.

Technical Details

Real-Life History

Alf was built in 1950 for the National Coal Board by the Hunslet Engine Company. In November 1970 Alf and another diesel of the same design where purchased from a scrapyard in Manchester for £500 and they arrived at Tywyn on the 2nd of December 1970.

Alf entered service in September 1971. It was named after Lord Alfred Robens, a politician and Chairman of the National Coal Board between 1961 and 1971. The other diesel that was bought was used for spares.

Between 1984 and 1985 Alf underwent a heavy overhaul. It gained brass nameplates in 1986; previously the name was painted on the side.

Livery

Alf is currently painted deep bronze green with red side rods.

Appearances

The Railway Series

Companion Volumes

Trivia

Toby

For other uses, see Toby (disambiguation).

"Toby" is a narrow gauge petrol trolley built for the Talyllyn Railway by one of the volunteers and later Chief Mechanical Engineer, John Bate.

Toby's equivalent in The Railway Series is Ivo's Flying Bedstead, a trolley built by Mr. Hugh in 1953.

Technical Details

Real-Life History

Toby was originally built from a second hand Austin 7 engine and gearbox, mounted on a custom-made chassis. It entered service in 1955 and was predominantly used to transport up to half-a-dozen men, and sometimes a few wagons, to worksites. In 1960 a roof was added, and the work crew nicknamed the trolley "Toby" after noticing a resemblance to Toby the Tram Engine. It has gone through three major rebuilds since then, the most recent having been completed in 2019.

Livery

Toby is currently painted forest green, like Midlander. It was previously painted blue with yellow and black hazard stripes.

Appearances

The Railway Series

Companion Volumes

Trivia

References

  1. ↑ RWS #20: Very Old Engines - "Crosspatch"
  2. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20210509165244/https://play.mattel.com/thomas-and-friends/en-us/engines/skarloey Skarloey's Engine Depot page on The Official Website
  3. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20210509165244/https://play.mattel.com/thomas-and-friends/en-us/engines/rheneas Rheneas' Engine Depot page on The Official Website
  4. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20100124112016/http://www.thomasandfriends.com/uk/Thomas.mvc/EngineDetail/Smudger Smudger's Engine Depot page on The Official Website
  5. ↑ https://ttte.fandom.com/wiki/File:HughGoesSliding.jpg Hugh Goes Sliding written by Christopher Awdry
  6. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20210509160705/https://play.mattel.com/thomas-and-friends/en-us/engines/sir-handel Sir Handel's Engine Depot page on The Official Website
  7. ↑ https://trlottte.com/chattering.htm Corris-Pondent
  8. ↑ https://ttte.fandom.com/wiki/File:HughGoesSliding.jpg Hugh G9es Sliding
  9. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20210509172009/https://play.mattel.com/thomas-and-friends/en-us/engines/peter-sam Peter Sam's Engine Depot page on The Official Website
  10. ↑ https://trlottte.com/chattering.htm Corris-Pondent
  11. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20210509165244/https://play.mattel.com/thomas-and-friends/en-us/engines/rusty Rusty's Engine Depot page on The Official Website
  12. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20210509165244/https://play.mattel.com/thomas-and-friends/en-us/engines/duncan Duncan's Engine Depot page on The Official Website


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